For The First Time
by scififanfreak222
Summary: The Script Songfic: How they talked that night, remembered, it was as if they'd never done any of it before. Like they'd never kissed or faught. Like they were meeting For The First Time.


This story is for RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose. Jason Todd-Xavier is Red X, and Grace Wilson and Jonathan belong to her. I do not own Grace, Jon, Red X, or Robin, nor do I own the awesome song 'For The First Time' by The Script. The writers, The Script themselves, and their record company own it. I just love the song.

The Script: Best Irish band ever, possibly better than U2.

xscifi :)

* * *

Grace Wilson-Todd-Xavier was sitting on her bed, her arms crossed over her chest and silent tears sliding down her face. They weren't sulky, I-didn't-get-what-I-wanted tears, they were broken hearted tears. Her boss had told her that it was only a matter of time before they'd have to let her go, so work was rare, and Grace spent most of her days at home, sitting on her bed, silently crying. She knocked back another glass of vodka and sighed. Jonathan would be home from school soon, and she didn't want him to come home to a depressed, slightly drunken mother. Grace began to get up from her place on the bed, only to push herself back down again. She didn't want to get up, her heart was broken.

_She's all layed up in bed with a broken heart,_

Menawhile, Grace's husband, Jason Todd-Xavier, was sitting alone in the local bar with only the young bartender for company. He knocked back another glass of Jack, his third that day, and sighed.

He and Grace were up to their eyeballs in bills and debt, and since Gracw was going to loose her job soon, money would be even tighter than before. Jason put his palm on his forehead.

_Damn it,_ he thought. He hadn't a clue how they'd gotten into this mad situation, and it seemed that he and Grace were more distant than ever. Instead of huddling close, they'd been fighting and getting at each other's throats, only doing things out of frustration.

Suddenly, the bell of the bar door rang. In walked Jason's worst enemy turned best friend from Titan days. Richard-John "Dick" Grayson, the Boy Wonder himself.

"Hey, Jase," he said, sitting down beside him.

"Hey, Dick," Jason greeted his friend.

"How're things?" Dick asked. And by that he meant: "Money still tight?".

"Tighter than ever," Jason sighed. "We're trying to make it work, but man, these times are hard."

_While I'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar_  
_And we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation_  
_Only doing things out of frustration_

_Trying to make it work but man these times are hard_

Suddenly, Jason's phone rang.

"Hello?" Jason answered.

"Jase," came Grace's desperate voice. "I need you at home now! Jon's going crazy! I think he had sugar at school today! Please come home!"

He sighed and looked at his watch.

He had a new job now on the unemployment line, and he'd be late if he went home.

"I can't," Jason told her. "I just can't seem to find the time."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight."

"See ya."

"Bye."

_Click!_

Jason sighed again. How had they gotten into this awful, awful mess? Was God testing them? Trying to see how they'd cope under so much pressure? Well, they weren't coping, and they actually needed a lot of help. Even if they were trying to make it work, man, these time were hard.

_She needs me now but I can't seem to find a time_  
_I've got a new job now in the umemployment line_  
_And we don't know we got into this mess is it God's test?_  
_Someone help us cause we're doing our best_

_Trying to make it work, but, man these times are hard_

Later that night, Jason came in, tired and groggy from his work, but carrying something.

"What's that?" Grace asked, switiching off the TV. It was only a matter of time before they cut that too.

"Wine," Jason said, unscrewing the cap. "One dollar each."

He poured them each a glass.

"Cheers," he said, smiling at her.

"Cheers," Grace replied. They both started to drink.

So they sat up all night, drinking and talking by the fire, saying "I love you" for the first time in a long time. Long after the wine was gone, they were still talking, smiling at happy and sad memories, although both of them were close to tears. Jason somehow felt by going over everything that had happened in their pasts, that they were getting to know each other again, almost as if they were meeting For The First Time.

_But we're gonna start by drinking old cheap bottles of wine,_  
_Sit talking up all night,_  
_Saying things we haven't for a while, a while yeah_  
_We're smiling but we're close to tears_  
_Even after all these years_  
_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting_  
_For The First Time_

Grace crossed her arms over her chest against the bitter cold of the November afternoon. She was in line at the door of the post office to collect her unemployment benefits with her head held high. All of the other people appeared to be shamed and embarrassed to be collecting benefits, but she didn't see it as something to be ashamed of. She was going to provide for her son, Jonathan, who she'd given birth to at just fifteen, who had hurt her so much and got in the way of her chance do something better with her life, whose father didn't know he existed, or even that he was the father until just a year ago, who was the reason for her marrying the boy of her dreams, Jason Todd-Xavier, the former Red X. The one who she loved the most out of everything, who was her Number One guy next to her husband. She was doing it for him, her little Jon.

Jason came home looking depressed. He'd just been let go off his job, and even if he'd lost that, he didn't lose his pride. He couldn't help but think of how unfair it was, to pick yourself up, then suddenly get kicked to the dirt again. Grace was already home, and she noticed that Jason had more one dollar wine with him. That was a sign that they'd be talking late into the night again tonight. It had sort of become their routine.

They laughed together and smiled, remembering the days when they pretended to hate each other, but later snuck out to the dark alley to meet each other. The hero and the free spirit, that's what they'd been. They looked into each other's eyes and remembered the things they loved most about each other, falling in love for a second time, remembering. Jason kissed Grace and Grace kissed him back. Their eyes locked.

They didn't even bother making it to the bed.

_She's in line at the door with her head held high  
While I just lost my job but didn't lose my pride  
But we both know how we're gonna make it work when it hurts  
When you pick yourself up you get kicked in the dirt,_

_Trying to make it work but man these times are hard  
But we're gunna start by drinking old cheap bottles of wine  
Doing things we haven't for a while, a while yeah  
We're smiling but we're close to tears,_

_Even after all these years_  
_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting_  
_For The First Time_

Grace had just thrown up for the third time that morning, she'd never felt so sick. She's been throwing up every morning for about a week now, as if things hadn't been bad enough. Jon was being a little terror and he was complaining that nobody wanted to play with him. Grace had told him that everything would be okay, but secretly she knew it wouldn't. Jon had seemed to inherit his parents' way of repelling people, of getting into trouble and pushing people away without meaning to. It made her feel even worse thinking about it.

"Blech!" Grace threw up again. She was beginning to get very sick of this.

About fifteen minutes later, the vomiting had subsided, and Grace walked around the bathroom, trying to settle her stomach. As she did, her packet of tampons caught her eye. Then it dawned on her.

Her period was fourteen days late.

_Drinking old cheap bottles of wine_  
_Saying things we haven't for a while, a while yeah_  
_We're smiling but we're close to tears_  
_Even after all these years_  
_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting_  
_For The First Time._

Jason arrived home tired and grumpy from a long day of job seeking.

"Where's Mom?" he asked Jon, who was doing his homework.

"I dunno," Jon replied. "But she told me to give you this." He handed Jason an envelope.

Jason opened it curiously, and got the shock of his life by what he saw. It was a pregnancy test. Jason cautiously turned it over to see the outcome, not sure what to think. It was positive.

At first, Jason felt a rush of worry. They were already up to their eyeballs in debt, what were they going to do if a new baby came? But then, a rush of warmth. Jason loved Jon very much, although he wasn't his father. Dick actually was. But even if he wasn't his father, Jason always treated Jon like his son, and had always wanted children of his own, expecially with Grace.

Jason was about to set the envelope down, but suddenly, something slid out. A note. Jason examined it, and gasped. Right there, in Grace's neat, slanting handwriting: _I can't take this anymore. I can't do this to you or to Jon. I'm sorry, you're better off without me. xGrace._

Jason's heart froze. She was going to take away everything he ever wanted. Her as his wife, children of his own, a family. Grace was going to commit suicide.

_For the first time_  
_Oh, for the first time_  
_Yeah, for the first time_

Grace was looking over the edge of the Jump City Bay Bridge, a hundred metres from the ocean below. She was going to jump, she had to. She wasn't going to put Jason through the same hell he had to go through with Jon. Not again. Never again.

She stepped up onto the railing, looking down again. She wondered how warm or cold the water would be, if the fall would kill her instantly or if she would die a little while after she hit. As long as she dies, she thougt, it would be all good.

"GRACE! Grace, WAIT! STOP!"

A familiar voice came behind her. Grace shook her head. No, it couldn't be him. He hated her now because of her condition, she'd told him, and he was probably relieved that she was doing this. They didn't need a new baby.

"Grace, PLEASE!"

The voice was getting closer. Grace put her hand over her stomach. If she killed herself, she'd be killing her baby too. She suddenly felt guilty. Was that fair?

"Grace, no!"

The voice was closer now. It was now or never.

So, she did it, she jumped.

_For the first time,_

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting ..._

_Yeah, yeah ..._

A hand caught her.

"Grace," Jason yelled at her. "What are you doing?"

"Let go of me!" Grace wailed. "Jason, I should die, we don't need this!"

"You're crazy," Jason said tenderly. He hoisted her up. "But don't give up on me, baby. Without you, I wouldn't want to raise Jon on my own, even though I love him, it wouldn't be the same without you."

Grace started to cry into Jason's shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Jason answered. "But you killing yourself isn't one of them." He looked sternly at her. "Don't you ever pull something like that again," he snarled. "If you're not here, I have ansolutely no reason for living. Life SUCKS without you."

"It sucks already," Grace deadpanned.

"Maybe," Jason agreed. "But it can only ever get better from here."

They smiled at each other, and the kiss came without either of them noticing.

_Oh these times are hard_  
_Yeah they're making us crazy_  
_Don't give up on me baby_

Their baby came into the world just eight months later (Grace went into labour early) and was welcomed by a horde of unofficial aunties and uncles. Gar and Rachel offered to give them Angela's old cot, and Richard had gotten Jason a job in Wayne Industries, the company he'd owned since his adoptive father had been killed on hero work. Kori spoke to Grace about a job in a real esate agency and Victor and Sarah offered up Mya and Elliott's old baby toys. Leela offered to babysit for them if they were ever busy, or felt they needed a break, and Jeromy offered free check-ups at the hospital where he worked. He was monitoring the birth. Gina and Dave offered support, and if they ever needed money, just ask them. Lance and Jen offered the same thing, as did Grace's best friend from Titan Days Jinny and her husband Wally. In fact, lots of people were offering to help them, and Jason and Grace felt overwhelmed and touched, and they'd be even more overwhelmed later on.

_Oh these times are hard_  
_Yeah they're making us crazy_  
_Don't give up on me baby_

Their son, Avery was born after sixteen hours of labour, with each of the Titan girl taking turns calming Grace down and holding her hand (let's face, Jason needed a break every so often, Grace was holding it pretty hard!). Everyone let out a cheer when he came out, the loudest coming from Grace. Jason cried (much to everyone's surprise) and never once was there a room that was filled with so much love, or so many people.

_But ..._

"There's another baby," Jeromy told Grace after she'd had a couple of panic attacks. "I have no idea how we missed it. I'm really sorry."

Of course, at that, the offers became doubled. Two cots, two strollers, babysitting stayed the same, a better paying job ... Leela smiled at her husband. She knew he felt guilt for getting it wrong. She squeezed her husband's hand. "It's okay," she said. Then she looked at Grace. "But are you?"

Grace looked over at Jason, Jason stared right back. They both knew that the exact same thing happened to Grace's mother Laura. She hadn't known she was going to have twins either.

"We're okay," Grace answered. "I am NOT looking forward to this, though."

"Thank God Gar's outside," Rachel smiled. "He wouldn't even stay for me pushing when I was giving birth to Angela. He was too squemish to stay ... Well, he did, eventually, but he didn't want to!"

Grace laughed. "Keep me smiling, Rach," she said. "It's doing a better job for me than the morphine!"

Jason smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "You're doing great, Princess. Just keep at it."

Four hours later, Zach came into the world. He looked the total opposite of Avery, with blonde hair instead of black. But, like his brother, he was beautiful.

_Oh these times are hard_  
_Yeah they're making us crazy_  
_Don't give up on me baby_

The boys grew up with nothing but love around them. Their plentiful aunts and uncles helped out the best they could, and their older brother Jonathan looked after them when nobody else could. A few years later, Camille came along, and everybody loved her just as much.

Avery started a relationship with Jen and Lance's daughter Emily when he was fourteen, and Zach may have a tiny crush on Gina and Dave's daughter Daphne.

And Camille? Well, we don't know yet. She's still growing up, and her dad is going to make sure she stays well away from boys ... until she's twenty-five! Yeah, Jason, like THAT'S going to happen.

Grace and Jason both agreed, looking back, she may have acted too drastically. Things would've worked out in the end, of course they would. But one thing is certain: Those times, way back when, were hard. And it made both of them do some crazy things. But the main thing was, they didn't give each other in the end, and now they're happier than any two people have ever been together.

_Oh these times are hard_  
_Yeah they're making us crazy_  
_Don't give up on me baby_

* * *

Well, there it is. I hope you liked it. :D

xscifi :)


End file.
